


a joy to love

by brilligspoons



Category: Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells
Genre: Extended Families, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-16 02:26:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13044579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brilligspoons/pseuds/brilligspoons
Summary: It's quiet....too quiet.orMoon begins to feel more and more comfortable with his family, and his family begins to show they feel the same way.





	a joy to love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [darthjamtart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/darthjamtart/gifts).



> Happiest of Yuletides, darthjamtart! <3333
> 
> Takes place at some nebulous point before Jade has their first clutch.

It's quiet.

...too quiet. Moon may still be relatively new to life with a Raksuran court, but he's been with Indigo Cloud long enough to have gotten used to a medium hum of activity at all hours of the day and night. He's even started to find it comforting, surprisingly—the instincts that decades of solitude and doing his best not to draw attention to himself in various groundling encampments are finally becoming more and more muted. He doesn't even freeze up when Stone (quite literally) knocks sense into him anymore. Moon feels like he's finally able to relax his guard...a little, anyway. If he's learned one thing from the events of the last few turns, it's that speaking too soon about anything just invites trouble.

So, this quiet is unnatural. It's not the eerie silence that tends to follow, say, a Fell attack, the realization of which serving to make Moon unclench his fists and sit up in his bower. He can tell that it's morning, but there aren't any shouts about whose turn it is to follow the hunters out into the surrounding forest, or any giggles from one or more of the clutches escaping their teachers to explore the upper floors of the mountain tree. He can't hear Chime and Jade gently arguing outside his bower about who gets to wake him up _this_ time. It's just—subdued, he thinks.

A sudden crash not too far away breaks the silence. Moon clambers down from the bed and makes his way out to the hall. He doesn't spend a lot of time in the consorts' bowers, preferring to make his bed in Jade's quarters with her and Chime, when he chooses to join them. But Ember had been anxious about something the previous night, so, at Stone's urging, Moon had pressed him for stories about growing up in Emerald Twilight.

"There's not much I haven't already told you," Ember had said, worrying at a tassel hanging down from one of his many blankets.

"Maybe stories about what Shadow was like?" Moon suggested. "In a few years, Thorn and Bitter are going to be joining us, and I don't know what I'm supposed to do to—guide them. Stone keeps telling me to act like a First Consort but doesn't bother to explain what that means. You know how he is."

Ember's spines had twitched with humor, which made a small well of pride rise up in Moon's chest, even after Stone smacked him over the head for it.

They'd fallen asleep together, another habit Moon was slowly coming to accept and even enjoy, several hours later, but he sees neither Ember nor Stone anywhere now. The scent of meat and fruit wafts up to him from the front hall, further piquing his concern. The court doesn't eat in the front receiving hall, unless they have visitors. Moon tries to remember if Jade had mentioned anything about another court visiting, or even one of their groundling friends, and can't. The warriors out patrolling along the borders would have sent word if anyone unexpected was approaching them.

He's nearly to the balcony when he hears voices down below him.

"I still think," he hears Chime say, "that we should have told Moon about this."

"Yes, Chime, you've made your feelings on the matter very clear," Jade replies, amusement lacing her tone. Moon can almost imagine her fangs flashing playfully at Chime, and he's suddenly and utterly overwhelmed with affection for them both, these beings who gave him all of this—home, a family, security, _happiness_...

He can hear other voices now, speaking with each other and saying something too low for Moon to make out but causing Chime to hiss out a laugh. A brief scuffle breaks out, quickly subdued by Bone's sharp hiss and the _thwap_ of scales hitting scales. Moon muffles his own amusement and, as quietly as he can, scurries over to the edge of the balcony so he can see the scene on the floor below.

There are piles of shining stones and gems, both loose and fashioned into jewelry, sitting in a wide ring on the floor, so many that Moon wonders where they all came from (he recalls the rush to load Delin's family's flying boats in his first weeks with the Indigo Cloud court, surely they'd left most of their finery behind?). Rolls of sturdy leather and fine cloth, brightly dyed and meticulously stitched with intricate patterns and script, rest in between each of these mounds, giving the overall effect of a brilliant mosaic from Moon's perspective. A group of Arbora scurry in between the gems and material, carrying platters of freshly bled meats, sliced fruits and vegetables, and the few cooked treats that the Raksura only bring out for very important celebrations.

In the center of the circle sit Jade, still round with their first clutch, and Pearl on a bed of plush pillows and blankets, with Bone, Merit, Briar, and Chime directing the Arbora and assisting warriors in front of them. Moon notes Stone and Ember standing in the entranceway to the room, Ember looking far more excited than anxious. Stone, of course, is yawning, slumping against the supports of the doors.

A snort from Jade draws Moon's attention back to her. She hasn't moved much, but her eyes are fixed on him. Her spines twitch ever so slightly, and Pearl sighs in annoyance.

"So much for keeping this a surprise," Pearl says.

Everyone startles and looks up. Instinctually, Moon ducks down behind the balcony wall, but he knows it's too late—they've all seen him. Chime groans.

"Ember, I thought you said you'd worn him out," Chime says, receiving a snort from Stone.

"It's not _my_ fault," replies Ember, indignant. "Maybe if Briar and Bell hadn't tripped over the platter, he'd still be asleep."

"In their defense," Moon says before another fight can break out, "I'd already woken up before that. But it's probably what made me come looking." He stands up in time to see Briar pointing up at him, in an emphatic _see?!_ motion.

"You might as well come down and join us, then," Jade calls up to him. She pats an empty space between her and Pearl. "The cakes are going to get cold."

This starts up another argument, this time between a few of the Arbora—something about the cooking time and someone helping themselves to more than a few of the "failures." Moon snaps his wings out behind him and jumps off the balcony, gliding down to land just in front of the two queens. Jade reaches for him as soon as he sits down, and Moon wraps his arms around her, nuzzling gently into her neck and resting his check on her shoulder.

"Feeling alright?" he asks quietly. She nods.

"For once," Jade replies. "I'm sure once the clutch is out I'll be thrilled with the whole process, but I wish it went by a little easier and faster."

Moon sighs and watches as more Arbora and warriors wander into the room until the space is practically buzzing with conversation and movement. "So. What's all this about?"

"Something we usually do when a queen first takes a consort," Pearl replies, sounding bored with the whole event already. "We of course have had other matters to deal with since Jade chose you."

"Normally it wouldn't be this lavish, either," Chime says as he plops down on a pillow in front of Moon and leans back against him. "But you, Stone, and Ember are our only adult consorts, and you didn't have anything with you when you came to us, so the Arbora decided to—rectify that."

Moon twitches. "This isn't all for me, is it?" The silence following his question tells him everything he needs to know about that. "Where does all of this even come from?"

He feels Jade grin against the top of his head. "We can't reveal all of our secrets. Besides, I'm sure you can pawn some of this off on Ember in a few weeks when we have another one of these parties for him and Pearl."

" _All of it_ —well, some of it. I definitely want to keep a few rolls of the leather." Not entirely true, Moon thinks, but he's overwhelmed and trying desperately to hide it. He knows he isn't fooling anyone, though, from the clap on the shoulder from Bone and the shy smiles from Bell and Briar he receives.

"I had a feeling," Jade says, tone gentle and warm.

From there it's a whirlwind of chatter and laughter, food and friendly rehashing of past arguments. Stone joins them at one point to slide a bracelet of dark green gems and silvery metal onto Moon's wrist, which he follows up with a swift smack to the head before wandering off again. Ember joins them on the pillows, lounging indolently on both Pearl and Moon. Some of the clutches, including Frost, Thorn, and Bitter, escape the nursery to climb all over Moon and Ember and steal the last of the fruit cakes.

Eventually the mentors bring out thick bound books and present them to Moon, who carefully opens one to find pages of flowing Raksuran script. Apprehension wells up inside him, fighting for space with the happiness and contentment in his chest.

"What are these?" he asks.

Chime swipes the one he'd opened and flips through it. "Bloodline records," he explains. "Not really necessary, since you're not from our court originally, but they're usually for making sure consorts can breed with an Arbora without worrying about being too closely related."

" _Excuse_ me," Merit interjects, "they're also for reading out to everyone. They're records of the court as a whole, full of stories and deeds and history. The consorts take turns reading them to everyone."

Before Moon has to say anything, Chime shoves Merit aside and pulls all the books towards him. "I'll read them out," he declares. "Moon doesn't know where all the best bits are, so we'll be here for ages until he gets to one of them."

Moon feels his muscles relax, and he melts against Jade once more. He knows none of these people would mock him for not being able to read the language they all share, but for all he's grown comfortable with the court, there are still points of shame he can't quite overcome. Jade's arm tightens around him as Chime lands on a page he seems to like more than the others and begins to read out loud.

For now, Moon thinks, chest overflowing with contentment and joy, everything is good.


End file.
